Quad SLI issues

[AusTerror]

So on my desk I have 2x 9800GX2 and BOINC only sees 2 GPUs.  Which is a little confusing as this could mean it sees each card or its only seeing 1 card and the two GPUs it contains.

BOINC only assigns 2 GPUGrid WUs at any one time.  I'm using the latest 190.xx WHQL drivers on Server 2008 x64 (vista 64). If I enable SLI BOINC returns 3 GPUs.....

Does anyone have any ideas about this one?

[Dataman]

BOINC is only going to see each device (card).

[Dataman]

News
GPUGRID distributes CUDA2.2 and CUDA2.3 applications
August 27, 2009
Since last week we are now distributing the most appropriate application version to your hardware. This will allow you to use the driver that you prefer, the most recent or an older one.

[veebee]

buggah! I just went over my Peak download limit last night coz i noticed that one of my Win7 boxes was runnning (cuda23) on the GPUgrid WU's..

I wanted it on the other box... so instead of waiting until OFF-peak (like..now..) I downloaded it last night... now it seems that I didn't need to !


EDIT: Dataman.. you are prolly the best person to ask about this..( tho Im sure many of you guys could answer..).

can i use a GTX 275 and a GTS 250 together in the one box?

does it give me any advantages ?

I will probably need a better PSU if running two in the one box (better than 450 - 500 W..) ?

[Dataman]

Veebee ... kashi is smarter than I am.  Things are changing faster than I can keep up with them.  :hbang:

Assuming you have a MoBo with 2 PCIx16 slots and you don't bridge them and don't turn on SLI, I think you can. My best advice is to go to the EVGA forum, describe what you have and what you want to do just to make sure. They are a wealth of information and, for the most part, nice people.

SLI "use to" require the cards be the same. I'm not sure that is still true. You may or may not have to use a dummy plug on the 2nd card to get BOINC and nVidia to recognize the 2nd card. I know you have to use a dummy plug for XP as it shuts down the 2nd card if there is no resistance on the plug (to save power). I had mixed results on Vista and I have not tried with Win7 without them. I put them all cards that are not plugged into a monitor just so I don't have to consider it.

My experience: I have run 2 GTX260's together but I needed a lot of case fans to keep them cool during hot weather. I highly recommend the Antec 900 case. I have 3 machines now running 3, 9800GT's with no problem except the middle card runs a little hotter than the outside ones. I have never been able to mix GTX260's with 9800GT's. One of two things happens. Either BOINC detects only the GTX260 or BOINC detects both cards but marks the 9800GT as "(unused)".

My current config is 3 machines with 3, 9800GT's, 1 machine with 2, 9800GT's, 3 machines with 1, GTX260 (mostly because of heat) and 1 machine with 1 9800GT (light version with no extra power plugs because it needs both a MoBo and PS upgrade).

Power: I just bite the bullet now and put in 1000W PS's. I am always upgrading something so I don't have to worry about power. TheThermaltake 1000W has a great feature that all the cables are not attached to the power supply. You just plug in the ones you need so you do not have a bunch of cables to hide. I really helps air flow in the case. I was successful running the 2 GTX260's on an 800W PS when I had them together.

There are now INTEL MoBo's that support 3 GTX2xx (maybe 4 by now) but they are still too expensive for me. I don't know anything about AMD.

I hope this helps!

[kashi]

I'll just reinforce Dataman about the heat issue with some cards. I haven't started putting the awning over my window yet because it was 4° this morning and I like to get some warmth into my room. However it is now 24° and I have just come back home and my HD 4890 is at 88°, I'll have to slow it down a bit for summer. I know it's a different brand/model but the principle is the same. I was thinking if I ever get a second card I'll need one of those open tech stations instead of a normal case, but then I would have trouble with noise and dust.

Dummy plug how to here.

I don't know when the 40nm nVidia cards are due, but the new high and mid range 40nm ATI cards are supposed to be available in October. I wonder what they will cost, I woudn't mind a Radeon "Cypress" pumping out 200K a day on MilkyWay! Or perhaps twice that with a twin core "Hemlock" later in the year if I could afford one, that would certainly be poisonous. :) Of course MilkyWay would probably be forced to lower their credit rate a bit if many get these new cards.

Regardless of the price/performance ratio at launch, 40nm cards promise to be more power efficient and have the potential to run cooler. I wouldn't suggest anyone wait for upcoming hardware because there is always something new coming, there are often delays and nobody wants to a be a BOINC spoilsport and mention power bills however it is just something to keep in mind. Anyway you can always sell an old card and upgrade, gamers are not as concerned about power issues as BOINCers, they are more interested in ensuring their favourite games run fast and pretty.

Also more efficient 40nm video cards mean a lower wattage PSU can be used. Although with the better modern high wattage PSUs, that is not really a concern except for the higher purchase price because they are efficient at low load. I prefer to overspecify my PSU anyway, so that it can provide heaps of clean power, allow for potential upgrades and hopefully be more reliable under the load of constant crunching and the heat of an Australian summer.

Whatever you decide on, do your research, purchase, install, configure and enjoy the crunch.

[Dataman]

As I said ... kashi is smarter than I am. And it appears he is more eloquent too. 

As you Aussies get to face summer again, I get to have winter come again. As the song goes, "Summer time and the living is easy." Well,"Wintertime and the crunching is easier." I look forward again to shutting off the floor fans and reducing the fan speeds of CPU's, GPU's and case fans. That alone saves money.
The nature of IT is to consume power and excrete heat. Not a "green" technology. But between the two states, work is done ... and that is what we are here to do.

nobody wants to a be a BOINC spoilsport and mention power bills

I will .... it's a problem for me!!!  :cry2:

Whatever you decide on, do your research, purchase, install, configure and enjoy the crunch.

Well said mate!! Crunch on ........

:aus1:

[kashi]

Ah songs, well as long as we don't let our crunching drive us Mental As Anything :)

Started out, just foldin' at home
I didn't know how or why
Or what I was doin' there
Just a couple more WUs
Made me feel a little better
Believe me when I tell you
It was nothin' to do with the letter

I ran right out of Athlon
I took a look into the larder
No duals, nothin'
I'd better go and get somethin' harder
Back in a flash
I started on a dash of Malaysian quad
Now graphics give a moan
Heat has really grow-ow-ow-own

Woh-hoh-oh, the rigs are gettin' bigger
Woh-yeah, the rigs are gettin' bigger
Wo-hoh-oh, the rigs are gettin' bigger
Yeah-eah-eah, mmm they're gettin' bigger

Sometimes I wonder
What all this crunchin'
Is doin' to my brain
Doesn't worry me enough
To stop me from doin' it agai-ai-ain
Gettin' big power bills
In the hundreds but I don't care
It doesn't worry me
Even though
I ain't got a lot to spare-are-are

Woh-hoh-oh, the rigs are gettin' bigger
Woh-yeah, the rigs are gettin' bigger
Wo-hoh-oh, the rigs are gettin' bigger
Yeah-eah-eah, mmm they're gettin' bigger

[Dataman]

  Love it.  +1

[kashi]

I spotted them and John Paul Young on the end of the TV news on Thursday night as I was walking through the lounge room. Didn't know what it was about, but it reminded me of the song. Found out today they had been inducted into the Hall of Fame. So had Little Patty, now there was a song: He's My Blonde-Headed, Stompie Wompie, Real Gone Surfer Boy.   ;D

[veebee]

".. He's My Blonde-Headed, Stompie Wompie, Real Gone Surfer Boy... "  -  now THEY are lyrics .... not like the crap today ..

[AusTerror]

1KW is over kill for a Quadfire box.

I could not get a 2x 4870X2 box to use more than 550watts.  So a 850watt PSU should be plenty.

Also I ran a 9800GX2 and a 8600GT in my desktop for 6 months .  Almost ALL WUs errored out.  I thought it was because GPGPU was not stable.  When I removed the 8600GT everything started working.  So keep an eye on your error rates with more than 1 GPU card.

Anyway my Quad SLI problems continue.  I'm going to try posting in the GPGPU forums. Now BOINC detects 3 GPUs.  3 WUs run and the GPU temps confirm this.  1 GPU is cooler than the other three.